The headteacher of Alnwick’s high school, reflecting on 2014, has said he believes that they are ‘moving towards being an outstanding school’.

Addressing parents and pupils at the Duchess’s Community High School’s annual prize-giving ceremony last Friday, Maurice Hall admitted that there are ‘quite a number of similarities’ between what parents want and what Ofsted wants.

“I believe that we, together, have made major strides forward this year,” he continued.

“For a number of years we have been a strong school.

“This year there is growing evidence that we are, in many ways, moving towards being an outstanding school.”

However, he also pointed out that the high school has a far more diverse intake than many of the ‘top’ schools in the league tables.

“We have many academically talented students, but we also have students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or are below the national averages when it comes to achievement prior to entry to our school,” he added.

“Students such as these make up the same percentage in our school as the national average – a fact that many who do not fully understand our local community do not realise at first glance.

“We must not forget this when we consider our need to be ‘all things to all people’.

“Our school is successful because it manages to balance the needs of all.”

Mr Hall referenced Commonwealth Games silver medallist Laura Weightman, who returned to hand out the prizes, as he talked about the wider opportunities.

“Our past students are making a difference wherever they go because of the contributions of school, family, and local community to their up bringing,” he said.

“As a school, we continue to offer a real variety of opportunities for our students to get involved outside the classroom. These include sport, drama, music, politics and others.”

Mr Hall also looked to the future as the plans for a new high school at the Greensfield site progress apace.

“In less than two years we will be in a new building,” he said. “I cannot underestimate the importance of this move.

“To be in a modern, single building cannot do anything else than further lift our self-belief and our drive to be the best we can.

“We will be in an area of the town where vocational and training opportunities will be close by, where sporting facilities are increasingly available and next to the A1 so access to the wider county and national network is so much easier.

“I am thankful that so many people have worked and are working to make this happen.

“It is genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime event which will mark the growing confidence of both our school and its wider community.”

He finished by paying tribute to his staff and all those people and organisations that help the students.